Press Releases

The project "Sodium-Ion-Battery Deutschland-Forschung - SIB:DE FORSCHUNG", funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), aims to evaluate the suitability of sodium-ion battery technology (SIB) for the European energy and mobility transition to speed up industrial implementation. To this end, 21 national partners from science and industry are pooling their expertise from battery material development to the production of large-format cells to enable the fast transfer of research results into practical applications.

To promote the sustainability of electromobility and enhance resource efficiency, upcycling of lithium-ion batteries is gaining increasing importance. Efforts are focused on slowing down material cycles by repurposing used batteries from electric vehicles for new applications instead of transferring them directly to recycling processes. Despite its real significant potential to conserve resources, upcycling has yet caught on due to technical and economic challenges. However, a team of researchers has developed a practical method that combines a high-speed measurement method and artificial intelligence (AI) to overcome these barriers.

Demonstration of an automation-compatible thermoplastic construction method for aircraft fuselages receives award in Paris

The development of a continuous process chain for the sinter-based additive manufacturing of nickel-based alloys is at the center of the "Simsalabim" project. The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Dresden together with the Dresden University of Applied Sciences (HTW) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS are addressing all steps from design and sintering simulation through to verification on real parts. The requirements of the industrial manufacturers and endusers are incorporated through close exchange of feedback.

Hardly any other chemical substance can compete with PFAS, due to their unique properties. That explains why it is so hard to find a replacement for these toxic “forever chemicals”, which accumulate in the environment and do not break down over time. A team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM has succeeded in developing solutions that hold great promise of targeted substitution for PFAS in fields including medical engineering.

Resource-efficient, flexible automated production – Newly developed milling kinematics on a linear axis enables versatile and efficient machining of lightweight materials to metals up to steel with a production tolerance of up to 0.1 millimeter

After a year of construction, the new development and test environment for offshore drones was officially opened with numerous guests from business, politics, and science. The Offshore Drone Campus Cuxhaven (ODCC) is operated by Fraunhofer IFAM and serves as a platform for interdisciplinary cooperation between industry and research to advance the development of future-oriented technologies within drone research and application. The focus lies on inspection and maintenance work, monitoring of maritime structures as well as monitoring and transportation tasks using drones. The realistic application scenarios on and above the water offer unique testing opportunities.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Ad-vanced Materials IFAM have developed a new polymer patch that can signifi-cantly accelerate and simplify previously laborious, expensive, and time-con-suming repair processes on damaged lightweight aircraft components. The thermoformable, recyclable repair patch is pressed onto the damaged area and fully sets in just 30 minutes. The innovative fiber-reinforced plastic is so versa-tile that it can be used in a wide range of different industries, from aviation to orthopedics.

The new UltraPLAS coating developed by Fraunhofer researchers has proven to be a ground-breaking solution to the challenges of primary forming processes. This advanced release and easy-to-clean coating is applied as a gradient layer using a cold plasma process and is suitable for materials such as tool steel, stainless steel and aluminum. The unique physical properties of UltraPLAS enable perfect molding of even nano-scaled and reflective surfaces. By reducing the number of post-processing steps and renouncing external release agents, the application is classified as highly economical.

The year 2024 is characterised by a substantial reduction in federal funding for project research. Energy research is particularly affected by this. A 30% reduction in available funding for new projects is looming, compared to the previous year. Against this backdrop, the Fraunhofer-Group »Energy Technol-ogies and Climate Protection« is warning of a massive decline in German in-dustry's ability to innovate in technologies for the energy transition. Nine institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft are organised in the group, which play a key role in driving forward application-oriented energy research.